Eddie Hearn has backed Dillian Whyte to become the next British fighter to win a version of the world heavyweight title as early as next year and says he is convinced that he is talented enough to beat the WBC champion Deontay Wilder and the former title holder Wladimir Klitschko.
First off, however, Whyte must overcome the veteran Dereck Chisora, who is stubbornly eyeing another crack at a world title himself despite appearing on the slide at 32. As Chisora warned his opponent: “I’ve lost six fights and people wrote me off but I’m like herpes. You think I’m gone and then I pop back up.”
There were plenty of barbs when the pair met at a press conference, with Whyte, who has won his past three fights following the first defeat of his career to Anthony Joshua in December last year, repeatedly bringing up Chisora’s past hoping to get a rise. “Dereck is deluded,” he said. “I’m looking to knock him out. He’s a bum.”
Chisora, who brawled with David Haye at a press conference in 2012, refused to swallow the bait. “I am not getting TV money for this fight – I’m not selling it for you,” he replied. “I don’t need to get crazy, the [British boxing] board [of control] has made enough money off me.”
As the pair stared each other down, Hearn nervously stood between them, his eyes flitting between the fighters. As he admitted afterwards, the atmosphere had been so tense that he feared punches would be thrown. That, though, will have to wait until the pair meet in a WBC world title eliminator on the undercard of Joshua’s IBF defence against Eric Molina in Manchester next month.
“Our plan with Dillian is to win the world title,” Hearn said. “He had a great fight with Anthony and I believe that he can beat Wilder, beat Joseph Parker, who will be WBO world champion, and I believe he can probably beat Klitschko too. I want him to be in those fights – and the great thing about Dillian is that he will fight anyone.
“His last few performances have been mature rather than spectacular, but this is the fight he needs to be spectacular and he knows that.”
Hearn also defended the choice of the unheralded Molina as Joshua’s next opponent, conceding that while the reaction from hardcore fans had been “tepid” he believed the fight and undercard was better than for Joshua’s last defence against Dominic Breazeale. As he also pointed out, pre-sale tickets for the fight had gone in 11 minutes.
“This is probably the last fight for AJ before we take off the shackles but I still think it is a dangerous fight,” he said. “I know everyone is presuming he’ll go in and destroy Molina but it’s good fight in preparation for the Klitschko fight. After Molina I don’t think there’s anywhere for Anthony to go but the likes of Klitschko, Wilder and David Haye next year.”
